La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life)

Cellar Dwellers: Blowing Rock's Best Cellar, Inc. raises intimate dining to new heights

By Virginia Walker Nestled under the shading arches of hickory, pine and oak trees and perched on a hill in view of the tip of Grandfather Mountain is a 1938 log cabin; home to one of the Appalachians’ most beloved...
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I'm Dreaming of an Olde Fashioned Hendersonville Christmas

Stephanie Houser Every year as the cool, brisk air begins to fill the atmosphere and snowflakes start painting the North Carolina mountaintops, the spirit of Christmas fills the cozy town of Hendersonville. The Christmas season brings warmth and joy among...
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Pouring L'amour: North Carolina winemaking returns to vintage form at Green Creek Winery

By Virginia Walker Traveling the mountains by train from the 1920’s to the 1940’s had its rewards — sweet moist grapes grown in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The crisp mountain air was buffered by the surrounding mountains,...
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Pouring L'amour: North Carolina winemaking returns to vintage form at Green Creek Winery

By Virginia Walker Traveling the mountains by train from the 1920’s to the 1940’s had its rewards — sweet moist grapes grown in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The crisp mountain air was buffered by the surrounding mountains,...
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Ashe County Cheese: The Taste of Tradition

Travel back in time to dairy country in the early 1900’s. Gone are four-lane thoroughfares. Black and white heifers graze along fence-lined country roads leading to the general store, a store that sells the freshest dairy products from neighborhood farms....
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King Street Café: The Secret Is Out

Nestled in the heart of Morganton, NC’s downtown historic district, on one of its busy side streets, sits the King Street Café. You may pass by this historic home and not be aware of the delicious secrets it holds. This...
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Making Memories is a Matter of Taste

How can a fledgling restaurant compete against the ever-growing onslaught of trendy chain restaurants, neighborhood bars and grills, ethnic specialty restaurants, delivery pizza and fast food? Well, setting it a nearly 100-year-old Victorian home that’s on the National Register of...

Southern Hospitali-Tea

Remember the last time you found that favorite little place while on vacation that you long to return to? Chantilly’s Tea House and Restaurant has been that place for us since we first stepped onto its porch this past April....

Kelly Lewis and the Chocolate Factory

Visionary director Tim Burton is currently filming a remake of the classic movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with Johnny Depp in the role made famous by Gene Wilder in 1971. However, should Depp be unable to complete the...

Say… Cheesecake!

Take one part cook, one part waiter, and one part showman. Add a healthy dash of personality. Shake well and… voila! You have Bruce's Fabulous Foods, in Marion, NC. Bruce Brown, the owner, head chef and some would say star,...

Nuptials in Nirvana: Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

Future brides are born with instinctive expectations of what their wedding day will entail. Visions of cherubs, harps and rose petals falling from the sky are the typical fantasies. The staff at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens (DSBG) cannot provide the...

Facets of a Gem: The Hidden Crystal and Restaurant

Known as America's Emerald Capitol because of the town's gem mines, Hiddenite in Alexander County is home to The Hidden Crystal Inn and Restaurant. Founded as a bed and breakfast, this four-acre estate now features 16 bedrooms and suites plus...

Gourmet food and fine wines attract patrons to Ni Fen Bistro and Epicurean

In case you’ve forgotten the difference between eating and dining, make plans and enjoy a visit to Ni Fen Bistro and Epicurean in Shelby. Nothing jogs the memory like perfectly prepared food and fine wine in a cozy, inviting atmosphere....